Founded in 1933 in Toyama Prefecture, Sukenari is a company run by the successors of master blacksmith Hanaki Toukichi who had previously worked under the prestigious Masamoto Hamono.
Sukenari is famous for using the mizu-honyaki method, a technique employed in a similar fashion to Japanese swords. These knives are forged using a single piece of extremely high-carbon steel clad in a special clay which, upon being quenched in water, hardens into a blade with a robust spine and an unbelievably hard edge with a hamon, or temper line, delineating their boundary. This type of steel is extremely difficult to produce, but results in a blade that is far more potent and resilient than conventional laminated steels.
Sukenari is one of the few to produce handcrafted knives using ZDP-189 steel, an expensive, difficult to work with material rivaling the hardness of mizu-honyaki while having better edge retention. If you are looking for a knife that will blend the best of tradition and function, Sukenari will not disappoint.
